Swimming pool cover



July 21, 1959 File d. Oct. 23, 1956 Fig.'/

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m M r s m Katherine B. 89/!) IN V EN TOR.

BY M v July 21, 1959 K. B. SEITZ.

swxmmc POOL COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 2a, 1956 kathgrine 8.- Se:

INVENTOR.

United States Patent SWIMMING POOL COVER Katherine B. Seitz,Eggertsville, N.Y.

Application October 23, 1956, Serial No. 617,790

4 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention relates to covers and moreparticularly to a cover for a swimming pool.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cover which is easilymanipulable in order to form a closure for the top of a swimming poolwhereby it functions to provide family protection and safety, preventingthe inadvertent or accidental falling into the pool, this beingparticularly true in connection with small children.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a cover which willfunction to prevent the accumulation of foreign material on the watersurface and in the water or in the empty pool.

Although the majority of pools are rectangular, it is well within thepurview of the invention to provide a cover of any shape, for example,the cover would be oblong for oblong pools, square, round, oval, kidneyshaped and other shapes, depending on the shape of the pool.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide aclosure for a swimming pool wherein there are a plurality of sectionsthat are preferably hingedly connected together so as to be capable offolding to one end of the pool in a compact position. In this way theymay be subsequently unfolded with equal facility and returned to aposition for covering the pool.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of a swimming pool having thereon a coverwhich typifies the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1;

Flgure 3 1s an enlarged, fragmentary sectional v1ew showing a hingeconnection between a pair of sections and taken on the line 33 of Figure1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1 showingthe means of locking the cover in place over the pool;

Figure 5 is an elevational view showing the cover in the foldedposition;

Figure 6 is an end view of the cover in Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on the line7-7 of Figure 1 and showing one of the rollers by which to support thecover.

In the accompanying drawings there is a swimming pool cover 10 which isconstructed in accordance with the invention. This swimming pool covermay be made of any shape as discussed previously, this being governed bythe shape of the swimming pool 12. As in most swimming pools, theillustrated embodiment of the invention is operatively connected with apool that has a pair of ladders 14 and 15 extending in a customarymanner into the pool.

Cover 10 is made of four rectangular panels 16, 17, 18 and 19respectively. Each panel is made of a wire or "ice other material frame,for example see the construction of panel 19where the rectangular wireframe has sides 20, 21, 22 and 23. Wire mesh covering 24 is welded orotherwise rigidly attached to the frame in order to form the panel 19.Side 21 has two hinges 26 and 28 connected to it, these hinges beingattached to one end of the swimming pool 12. A single piano hingeor aplurality of hinges 30 are used to connect the side 20 of panel 19 withthe side 31 of panel 18. In a like manner, hinges 33 connect the sides34 and 35 of the panels 17 and 18 respectively. Hinges 37 connect thesides 38 and 39 of the panels 17 and 16 respectively, therebyinterconnecting all of the panels of the cover 10.

The end 44 of the panel 17 frame is formed with recesses 45 and 46 toallow passage of the ladder 14 when the closure 10 is in the poolclosing position. The longer side 47 of the frame of panel 16 has likerecesses 48 and 49 to accommodate the ladder 15. Handles 50 are attachedto the ends of the panels in order to make it easier to lift and handlethe panels when both applying and removing the cover 10. When cover 10is in the closed position, it may be locked by the use of padlocksfitted between hasps and 56 and their keeper plates 57 and 58respectively. The hasps are anchored on the pool upper edge, while thekeeper plates are welded or otherwise fixed to the panel frames so as tobe registered with the keepers when the closure 10 is in the closedposition.

Panels 17 and 18 are provided with pairs of wheels 63, 64 and 65, 66,respectively, with the tread of one pair being wider than the other.Wheels 69 and 70 are welded onto small axles, for example, axle 71 forwheel 70, and the pair of Wheels 69 and 70 are attached to the panel 16.The wheels function to reduce friction to a negligible quantity whenapplying and removing the cover from the swimming pool.

In use of the invention, it is assumed that the cover is in the openposition (Figure 5) where it will rest on posts and 81 anchored firmlyin the ground near one end of the pool. The panels may be lashed orotherwise secured to the posts if this is deemed necessary. Handles 50are pulled, thereby rolling the panels of the cover to the pool closingposition, this operation being depicted in Figure 2. In order to lockthe pool, padlocks are applied as described previously. When removingthe cover from the pool, it is merely lifted and slid to the foldedposition shown in Figure 5, and if desired, lashed to the posts 80 and81.

It is understood that various changes may be made in the inventionwithout departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example,the panels of the cover need not necessarily be hinged or of the foldingtype. It may be constructed so as to roll on wheels and the panels orpartitions in connection therewith slide either over or under. When thepanels are either folded up or slid under each other, they may then befolded back in their entirety to rest on the ground. Moreover, thematerials of construction are optionally selectable in accordance withmanufacturing expedience and tastes.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An extensible and retractible cover for swimming pools comprisingmore than two generally rectangular panels disposed in side-by-siderelation, hinges connecting the adjacent edges of adjacent panelswhereby the panels may be folded upon themselves in a retracted positionto uncover the pool and may be disposed in planar alignment to cover thepool, each panel including a wiresion and retraction of said cover, someof said panels having recessed portions in the edges. of their frames toreceive ladders disposed in said swimming pool, a lock means on theframes of an intermediate panel for securing the cover in'extendedposition of a pool, handles 0 the opposite sides. of each panel.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the pairs of supporting wheelshave axles, said axles being positioned at adjacent ends of adjacentpanels, the adjacent wheels on adjacent edges of adjacent panels beingin laterally offset, overlapping relation when said cover is in retracted position, v

3. In combination with a swimming pool having a walk with anunbrokenflat surface on each side of the pool, a ladder inlsaid pool at one sidethereof, an extensible and retractible cover comprising more than twoarticulated panels hinged at their adjacent edges extensible from aretracted folded position atone end of thepool to an extended positioncovering the pool and with the panels in flat, planar alignment, pairsof supporting wheels mounted at the adjacent ends of adjacent panels andat the outside edges of the latter and rolling upon said unbroken flatsurface to facilitate extension and retraction of said cover, each pairof wheels being mounted on an axle at one edge of its panel, one of saidpanels having recessed portions in its edge to receive said ladder inthe extended position of the cover, lock means on the side of anintermediate panel and on a side of the pool for locking the cover inextended position.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said pairs of supporting wheelsare disposed laterally oflset for overlapping relation when the cover isin its retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,205,707 Cahill Nov. 21, 1916 1,351,229 Bombelli Aug. 31, 19201,746,983 Barr Feb. 11, 1930 2,754,900 Karobonik et al July 17, 19562,788,849 Lingard Apr. 16, 1957 2,838,767 Matlock June 17, 19582,870,454 Schippert Jan. 27, 1959

